As an avid digitiser I had to embroider my New Year’s message for you all! Rather than create something new I decided to take one of my favourite collection and create a new design with the elements. This is the result and you can purchase the designs in January 2019 for just $7.50. What a bargain to start a year of embroidery.

Here is my design loaded on my Husqvarna Epic machine.

This design needs a 360mm x 200mm hoop but don’t worry if you don’t have one that size, as I have split the design for 5″ x 7″ hoops. You can see that I hoop stitch and tear stabiliser and then attach remnant strips from previous hoopings as the second layer with temporary adhesive spray. Sometimes they require a little ironing but this is an economical way to get the best out of your precious stabiliser.

If your hoop has clips to hold your hooping, do use them. I used to be lazy, never using them, but I use them all the time now, especially as you see so much of my work in progress!

The fonts used in this design are new comprising of two coloured layers. Notice the Outline alignment stitches to the right of the embroidered numbers. When using silk dupion I can see whether I have laid the fabric parallel by checking the direction they will go before stitching, by taking the design forward on my screen. If you are able to check where each corner is this is also a very useful thing to do before starting.

Now for another confession. This was what I would call a “random thread stitch out” as I had done no planning for the colours I would use. The original Beatrice designs were given Tire #50 Silk thread numbers but I decided to just go with the flow and be creative as I went along!! It is fun to do, and the results can be either disappointing or very good.

If you know me well you will not be surprised at the colours which came off my spool rack and on to the machine. The deep rich green is Sulky Rayon 1817 Lemon grass which I have been using for the leaves and details in the Winter Jewels collection. I used 1033 Dark orchid and 1830 Lilac for the mauve and purple sections of the orchids.

Even though I have digitised larger orchids in the Orchids for Ruth collection, I love the little orchids in Beatrice. A touch of purple and mauve really makes the design pop along with 1817 on the edges of the ribbons which were stitched in Sulky Rayon 1508 Putty.

The shape of the design is showing well now and I have no idea why I have jump stitches that are not being trimmed. In my haste to stitch it out I think I forgot to check they were added OR they were lost when I sent the design to my machine. It is wonderful to have my Epic machine on my wireless network but this is one error that seems to occur sometimes.

Here is the finished design and I have to say that I can find little to complain about, which shows that “ad libbing” works sometimes. I encourage you to try it at some point in 2019. Now I must decide what to do with this embroidery. By the way I have included 2020 in this set so you can edit that in for any projects for next year.